From Shipping Container to Classroom

Reprinted from the FEDAGA Newsletter Summer 2010

The story started in August last year when Broughton High School asked if some of their pupils could visit the site in a ‘Know your Neighbour’ day. Around 45 young people visited us and all had a go at digging up and trying vegetables fresh out of the ground, off the tree and vine. The school returned excellent feedback and said they’d like to repeat the outing every year. We’ve used this as a springboard to contact other local schools to arrange similar visits. However, the site lacked anywhere to shelter should the weather be unkind. We decided against building a completely new structure as this we have lost an allotment plot from the already limited stock in the city. We decided to convert our old shipping container tool store into a classroom and meeting room. The Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership together with the Neighbourhood Environment Project kindly agreed to fund the work.

Before - the old tool store

The container was lifted out of the site over the hedge and taken away to Grangemouth where three windows, an insulated lining and a smart coat of green paint were installed. It arrived back a couple of weeks later where solar lighting was added together with new foldable seats.

The whole thing was ready by the end of June for our AGM. A small art exhibition was set up for the ‘opening’ with pictures kindly loaned by a local artist; Carola Gordon. Carola regularly paints views of the plots on the site.

After - complete with secure windows...

...and solar lighting

We now look forward to using this space for more events involving young people and local groups together with sessions aimed at new plotholders in how to get the best out of their plots.

The only problem we hadn’t anticipated was the discovery of five tiny fox cubs living underneath the container when it was lifted out. The SSPCA picked up four of them and assures us that they will be brought up as wild foxes and returned to the wild once big enough. Meanwhile Mrs Fox and the remaining cub have returned and are now back living under the new classroom.